Amazon Defeats Kingsmen by Eight Wickets as Gurbaz Seals CPL Victory

Guyana Amazon Warriors maintained their perfect start to CPL 2026 with an eight-wicket victory over Jamaica Kingsmen in Providence on Friday, chasing down 160 with 16 balls to spare. The defending champions have now won all five of their matches and moved into second place in the table, behind Antigua and Barbuda Falcons only on points.

The chase was set up by Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Mavendra Dindyal, who put 65 on the board during the powerplay. Dindyal made 33 from 17 balls, including four sixes, before falling, while Gurbaz continued to anchor the innings and reached 54 from 35 deliveries.

Gurbaz’s innings also brought a notable T20 milestone. He became the youngest player to reach 7,000 runs in the format when he moved to 28, and his dismissal in the 13th over left Amazon Warriors comfortably placed at 114 for 2.

Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer then completed the chase without allowing Kingsmen back into the contest. Hope finished unbeaten on 39 from 35 balls, while Hetmyer struck 30 from 17 and sealed the result with a six and a boundary during a brisk finish.

Earlier, Jamaica Kingsmen had been in serious trouble after losing six wickets for 87. Maaz Sadaqat’s 35 from 34 balls was one of the few substantial contributions during the middle overs, while Dwaine Pretorius and Khary Pierre kept the batting side under pressure.

Hassan Khan changed the complexion of the innings late on. Having made only three runs from his first six deliveries, he accelerated dramatically and finished unbeaten on 62 from 29 balls. He took three consecutive sixes from Imran Tahir in the 19th over before adding two fours and a six against Shamar Joseph in the final over.

That late assault lifted Kingsmen to 159 for 7, giving them a competitive total after they had spent much of the innings struggling for momentum.

Pretorius had earlier provided Amazon Warriors with the breakthrough, dismissing Kirk McKenzie in the opening over before removing Keacy Carty in similar fashion. He finished with two wickets, while Pierre also claimed two.

"It went my way again tonight," Pretorius said on the broadcast after the match.

The defeat leaves Jamaica Kingsmen third in the CPL 2026 standings, one position behind the defending champions.